Volunteers Hold Off Dawgs, 6-5

Friday, March 31

Knoxville

6:00 PM

University of Tennessee

15-8, 1-6

Georgia

11-16, 1-6

Georgia

Tennessee

March 31, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

March 31, 2017

Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Backed by a season-long start from senior righty Hunter Martin, Tennessee held off a late Georgia rally to defeat the Bulldogs, 6-5, on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

With the win, Tennessee moves to 15-8 on the year and 1-6 in SEC play, while Georgia now stands at 11-16 (1-6 in SEC).

Offensively, the Volunteers were led by first baseman Andre Lipcius (3-for-3, 2 RBI), redshirt senior Jeff Moberg (3-for-5, HR, RBI) and senior third baseman Jordan Rodgers (2-for-4).

Catcher Benito Santiago drove in Moberg with a double off the right-center field wall in the first inning, giving the Vols an early 1-0 lead.

The Dawgs fought back to even things up at 1-1 in the fourth, as a hit batsman moved to second via a walk and came around on an RBI single from first baseman Mitchell Webb.

UT's Jordan Rodgers kickstarted a rally in the sixth with a single through the right side. After stealing second, the senior scored on an RBI single up the middle by Andre Lipcius. Tennessee went on to put up a three spot in the frame to regain a lead over Georgia, 4-1.

Moberg then launched a solo home run to begin the seventh inning, his team-leading sixth homer of the season. The Vols went on to plate two runs to make it a 6-1 ballgame.

The Dawgs staged a two-out rally in the ninth to plate four runs and trim UT's lead, 6-5, before the inning ended on a groundout to Moberg.

Martin went a season-long 7.0 innings with the start, holding the Bulldogs to just one run on three hits while striking out seven batters. With the win, Martin moves to 4-2 on the year.

Fellow right-hander Kyle Serrano was called upon in the eighth and faced two batters before freshman Andrew Schultz (1.0 IP, 3 SO) finished the frame. Jon Lipinski entered the ninth with bases loaded and allowed one run on one hit before Zach Warren took the mound. The lefty threw one pitch to retire his only batter and hold off Georgia for his first save of the season.

TENNESSEE QUICK HITS

With the win, Tennessee moves to 121-112 all-time vs. Georgia, dating back to 1909.
Tennessee's 6-5 victory marked its first in SEC play this season and its first since a 5-2 win at Georgia on May 21, 2016 in Athens, Ga.
Jeff Moberg knocked his team-leading sixth home run of the season with a solo shot in the seventh inning. With a 3-for-5 effort on Friday night, Moberg also recorded his 11th multi-hit game of the year.
RODGER THAT: Jordan Rodgers has now reached base safely in each of his 22 games started this season, a team-long streak surpassing freshman Andre Lipcius' streak of 21 games.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS: Rodgers (22), Jeff Moberg (16) and Max Bartlett (11) extended their current streaks of reaching base safely.
With two walks on Friday vs. Georgia, Pete Derkay furthered his team lead to 21. Entering the weekend series, Derkay ranked tied for seventh-most walks on the season in the SEC.
FIRST PITCH GUEST: Prior to Friday night's series opener, VFL and former Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
On Deck for the Vols: Game Two of Tennessee's series against the Bulldogs begins Saturday, April 1 at 2 p.m. ET. Freshman Garrett Stallings (2-0, 3.24) gets his first starting nod for UT vs. Georgia's Kevin Smith (1-3, 6.62), with the game action available for viewing on SEC Network+ stream.
Friday night's attendance at Lindsey Nelson Stadium: 1,916